


Love Me, Hold Me

by falleraatje



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Established Relationship, Getting Together, M/M, Sad Ending, Sexual Content
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-03
Updated: 2021-01-03
Packaged: 2021-03-13 17:56:09
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,546
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28532526
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/falleraatje/pseuds/falleraatje
Summary: Hagrid only wants to be loved. Albus Dumbledore is the first person ever to really see him.
Relationships: Albus Dumbledore/Rubeus Hagrid
Comments: 1
Kudos: 2





	Love Me, Hold Me

Hagrid breathed in the fresh air. Even though it was January and icy winds were blasting through the trees, he loved being outside. It had started snowing last night, so a lot of students were milling around on the grounds, building snowmen and having snowballs fights. That was why Hagrid kept close to the Forbidden Forest. He didn’t feel like talking to anyone today and he hated feeling those curious looks on him when he was brooding.

Fang followed him closely, bumping his nose into Hagrid’s hand once in a while as if to assure Hagrid that he would always be there for him. Hagrid was grateful for that, but it didn’t help to solve the issue at hand. The _issue_ was probably in his office right now, working and not sparing a single thought on Hagrid. That was another obstacle of getting involved with Hogwarts’ headmaster: they always had other things on their mind. In spite of that, Hagrid needed to finally get Albus to talk to him so they could sort everything out, otherwise he would slowly be going insane.

Hagrid hadn’t slept properly for days, maybe even weeks, spending his nights lying awake and playing back their fight in his head. It hadn’t even been a proper fight; in fact, Albus probably had no idea how much his words had hurt Hagrid. He was just being Albus, pretending to always know everything when in reality, he might be aware of the cold, hard facts, but he cared little about the people behind it.

Hagrid had always thought that their relationship was different, that he was special in a way. That Albus might genuinely like and respect him. However, their fight had shown him otherwise. And now, Hagrid feared that it might have all just been his imagination going wild. All the loving smiles and affectionate touches. Perhaps he was just another one of Albus’ little projects that had gotten slightly out of hand, but instead of coming to the reasonable, responsible conclusion of stopping it once and for all, Albus did the usual: see how far he could push it.

Of course, there were more important matters for Albus right now than dealing with Hagrid of all people. Hagrid had grown used to never being a priority for anyone. Maybe that was why Albus didn’t even feel the need to officially end things with him. It all fit the bigger picture perfectly. The oddly-shaped puzzle pieces showing a life where Albus liked Hagrid just as much as he loved him would never make a whole picture.

Hagrid knew he was being a fool for ever believing that he and Albus might have a future together. But he had been so optimistic, back then when it all started, young and innocent…

* * *

Hagrid took in his surroundings warily as he sat down in the huge leather chair that had undoubtedly been enlarged to fit his size. As a gamekeeper, he was not often invited into the castle. He was not used to being around humans anymore, having spent the last ten years barely talking to anybody.

“Would you like a biscuit, Rubeus?” Professor Dumbledore asked and handed him a fine plate with a golden rim. Hagrid didn’t take it, afraid he might break it with his massive hands. Dumbledore had offered him to call him by his first name, but Hagrid would never feel comfortable calling him _Albus_ in his head. Dumbledore was the only reason that Hagrid had been allowed to stay at Hogwarts after the _incident_ , and the only person he trusted during those difficult times.

“You should at least have some tea,” Dumbledore insisted.

Hagrid took the cup that was offered to him, careful not to be clumsy as usual and break it with his big hands.

“I have an offer for you,” Dumbledore started after Hagrid had taken a few sips of his tea. His imagination began to run wild immediately. Did he mean another job, away from Hogwarts? But Hagrid had always dutifully fulfilled all his chores, surely there was no reason to send him away. Or was there? Had Dumbledore finally caved to everyone's insisting that Hagrid had been the one to set free the monster which had led to poor Myrtle's tragic death?

“Am I right to assume that you kept the remains of your wand after it was destroyed by the Ministry of Magic?”

Hagrid didn't know how to respond. Was he in trouble? He was probably not allowed to keep it. His wand had always been a reminder of better times, all those years ago when he had bought it at Diagon Alley. His Dad had been so proud of him. It held all those memories of coming to Hogwarts for the first time, young and bright-eyed, only to never fit quite in with his classmates. Considering what had happened a few years later, those could definitely be referred to as the Good Old Days.

“It's no use anyway,” he said when he still felt Dumbledore's inquisitive gaze on himself. “It has been completely destroyed, there is not an ounce of magic left in it.”

“Oh, I certainly doubt that,” Dumbledore interjected. “Wandmaking is a peculiar art. A wand does not simply turn back into a piece of wood once it is stripped of its core. I would appreciate it if you could lend me your wand for a few days for further inspection. “

Hagrid sighed. He knew he didn't have a choice, there was no arguing with Dumbledore. He reached into a hidden pocket of his wide furry coat and procured the remaining pieces of wood that he had kept close to his heart for all these years. It was time to say goodbye.

Dumbledore looked at them curiously. “Thank you. I will get them back to you as soon as possible.” He smiled softly, his eyes twinkling warmly, no hint of malicious intent. Hagrid still didn't quite believe him. He hated mind games, mainly because he had never been good at them.

“What are you gonna do with it?” he asked, straightforward as usual.

“Oh, I will just run a few experiments.” Dumbledore quickly let the pieces vanish into one of the many boxes on his shelves. “If all goes well, you might be in for a surprise.”

Hagrid didn't believe him for a second. The only surprise would be not getting his wand back. He left Dumbledore's office feeling uneasy and like he had just left a big part of his life behind.

Almost two months went by during which Hagrid didn't see Dumbledore at all. Sometimes he still thought about his wand wistfully. It felt like he had lost an old friend who had accompanied him all those years.

Hagrid was just coming back from a stroll to the forest (someone had to check on the centaurs and make sure that they survived the strong winter, even though they would never willingly, openly accept help) when he noticed a figure waiting by his little hut. Suspicious, Hagrid took bigger steps to get there faster.

When he got closer, Hagrid realised that the figure was actually a professor, carrying a pink umbrella, wrapped up in a thick coat and a purple scarf that was covering almost all of his face.

“Professor Dumbledore,” Hagrid greeted him, “you shouldn't be out here, 's too cold.”

“Rubeus, I have told you several times to call me Albus. We are colleagues, remember?”

Right. Hagrid was sure that none of the other teachers shared that opinion. They always looked down at him.

“Besides, I should tell you the same, you are outside in this shoddy weather as well. Maybe we should continue our conversation over a nice cup of hot tea?”

For a moment, Hagrid's heart filled with warmth at the thought of Albus actually caring about him. That feeling faded quickly enough; Albus probably hadn't even thought about what his throwaway comment might mean to Hagrid.

He quickly opened the door to his hut and beckoned Albus inside. He started filling the fireplace with wood, but Albus stopped him. He raised the pink umbrella, muttered an incarnation and the logs stacked at the far side of the room started floating over. Once they were neatly piled up in the fireplace, Albus used another spell to light them. “Works just fine. Fascinating,” he muttered to himself.

Hagrid stared at the pink umbrella in disbelief. Was there a new trend in wand design that he had been unaware of? Not that it would be of importance to him, but it seemed peculiar nonetheless.

Albus placed the umbrella on the table in the middle of the room. “There you go, as good as new,” he proclaimed.

Hagrid didn't understand. Luckily, Albus had experience dealing with students who would tend to be a little thick at times. “I told you I would return your wand to you,” he said.

Hagrid couldn't do anything but stare at the umbrella. His wand had been broken, there was no way it could have been fixed. He touched the handle carefully. It felt warm in his hand, familiar. The umbrella twitched as if it was greeting an old friend.

“How did you do that?” Hagrid croaked, blinking away the tears that had been lurking at the corners of his eyes.

“That is a secret that should better stay with me. I felt like it would be smart to give it some kind of a disguise, hence the umbrella. You should be careful not to draw too much attention to it, I wouldn't want you to be arrested for illegal use of magic. Otherwise, it's as good as new.”

“Thank you so much,” Hagrid said, still close to tears. “But why did you…? I should give you something in return…”

“Oh, not right now, my dear Rubeus. I might ask you for a little favour once the time is right, but that won't be anytime soon, I assure you. For now, it might be nice if you could visit me once in a while. The castle does feel lonely from time to time; and I do enjoy your company.”

Hagrid had no idea how that was even possible, he was the worst companion anyone could dream of. He never knew what to say or he stumbled over his words. He still nodded his agreement. Albus had given him back his magic. He owed this man so much, and he would make sure to try to make it up to him for the rest of his life.

* * *

Nowadays, Hagrid couldn't believe how he had ever been so foolish. He should have seen Albus’ ultimate plan. Albus could always sense that there were dark days ahead of them and he needed to ensure that people were on his sight. Somebody owing him a favour was an added bonus. Hagrid being a mere gamekeeper who was often overlooked had proven to be a valuable asset in the headmaster’s schemes.

Albus had called in many favours over the years. But Hagrid had been clueless back then, being a bright-eyed young lad, determined to please the only man besides his father who had ever shown him kindness.

* * *

It became tradition of sorts. Every Wednesday, Hagrid would trudge over to the castle, have a cup of tea in Albus’ office and listen to him ramble on about what being a teacher at Hogwarts was like. There conversations were nothing but light-hearted back then.

“I would have loved being a teacher,” Hagrid said suddenly. Even he was surprised that the words had accidentally managed to slip out of his mouth.

“Oh, really?” To Hagrid's confusion, Albus seemed delighted. He even clapped his hands in excitement. “What would you like to teach?”

“Dunno, I'm not really good at anything,” Hagrid replied vaguely. He looked down at his big hands that were neatly folded in his lap, so he wouldn’t accidentally knock anything over. Albus’ office was always cluttered with fine, intricate little trinkets.

“Come on, if you want to be a teacher, I am sure that you have thought about which subject you would like to teach. I won't judge you,” Albus assured him.

“Well, you know how I really like animals. I'd love to teach the kids about them, make sure they know that there's nothing to be afraid of.” In his most lonely days, he had entertained those daydreams, but he never let them get too far. There was no use in longing after something he could never have.

Albus leaned back in his chair, resting his chin on his hand and studying Hagrid with his piercing grey eyes. “You remind me of one of my good friends. He was quite the troublemaker at school, but a bright kid nonetheless. And he loved all kinds of magic creatures. You should meet him sometime.”

Hagrid nodded. Albus had not for a second made it seem like Hagrid's dream sounded silly. He loved how that made him feel all warm inside.

* * *

Hagrid practically stormed into Albus' office. “It worked!” he exclaimed. “It actually worked! I can't believe we did it!” He had to stop and take a deep breath after running over to the castle first thing in the morning.

Albus turned around from where he had been standing by the window, watching the grounds. “That doesn't surprise me; our plan was fool-proof.” He started to prepare two cups of tea. “I oversaw it myself.”

“That doesn't mean that there was no way for it to go wrong.” Hagrid loved teasing Albus from time to time, the only sign of his irritation often being a twitch in his eyebrow that Hagrid knew all too well. This time however, Albus seemed too relieved to get riled up.

“There was certainly a possibility of our experiment going wrong. After all, there could have been a werewolf lose in a school full of kids. That was why we took the necessary precautions. It all went well, so I guess that is one more mystery solved - how to control werewolves.”

Hagrid nodded slowly. He hated how Albus sometimes spoke of people like they were merely there for his entertainment or to prove one of his theories for whatever he called scientific research. Like Remus Lupin wasn't a living, breathing creature; a child that Albus had given a chance to have a normal life by inviting him to Hogwarts. Last night, during the full moon, their plan had proven to be a success. Their safety measures were sufficient and now the Ministry would have no reason not to give little Remus his right to an education.

For Albus however, it was just another problem that he had managed to solve, another puzzle ticked off his list.

“So what's next?” Hagrid asked, sounding slightly bitter. “Figure out a way to invite centaurs into the castle by fixing the staircases?”

Dumbledore seemed to ponder that idea for a moment. “I doubt any centaur would set a hoof on our grounds willingly. I might have another little experiment in mind though.” He sat down his teacup gently. “It is one that I have been considering for quite some time.”

Hagrid hated when Albus couldn't simply get to the point. “Are you gonna tell me about it or not?” His good mood because of their success had pretty much evaporated by now. Even after all those years, he hadn’t grown any fonder of Albus’ cryptic speeches.

“I would rather show you.” In a swift motion, Albus got up from his chair. His stood right in front of Hagrid who was getting increasingly confused. He had no idea where this might lead.

“Of course, if you do not wish to be part of this, you can tell me to stop at any time,” Albus continued. “Do you understand?”

Hagrid wasn't sure he did, but he nodded anyway. He was taken aback when Dumbledore suddenly jumped onto his desk. Who would have known that the aging man could still be so quick?

He beckoned Hagrid closer, who immediately did as he was told. They were now face to face, which felt quite weird since Hagrid was so used to looking down at people all the time. “That’s better,” Albus murmured. He put a hand on Hagrid’s shoulder to pull him closer. His blue eyes seemed to twinkle with delight as he pulled Hagrid in - who didn’t have a clue what was going on until it happened. Albus’ arms were around his neck, their lips uniting for a long kiss.

Hagrid gasped, which Albus seemed to interpret as an invitation to explore Hagrid’s mouth with his tongue. Hagrid had never experienced anything like this before. It felt wet and slightly strange, but at the same time so exciting that he started getting giddy. He reached out, tentatively placing a hand on Albus’s back.

Suddenly, it was over, way too soon for Hagrid’s liking. Albus took a step back, knocking a few books off his desk in the process. The loud thump brought Hagrid back to reality. He let go, instantly missing the other man’s warmth.

“Interesting,” Albus noted. “Very interesting, indeed.”

Hagrid nodded. He didn’t trust his voice to be working properly right now.

Albus jumped off the table. “I guess I will see you for tea as usual?” he asked. His face was blank, showing no emotion.

Hagrid nodded again, dumbfounded. He trotted out of Albus’ office, his head still spinning. Why had Albus sent him away so suddenly? And why had he kissed him in the first place? Hagrid would never understand the workings of that man’s brain, but he would probably be better off if he stayed as far away from it as possible. If anyone got hurt in the process, it would be Hagrid.

However, he had to admit that it had felt nice to be kissed. He wouldn’t mind experiencing that feeling again. And possibly even more…

* * *

A knock on his door pulled Hagrid out of his deep thoughts. His mind immediately went to Albus and he practically sprinted over to the door. Just before he opened it, he suddenly remembered that he was not supposed to be happy at the thought of seeing Albus; he was mad at him after all. He composed himself before finally pulling open the heavy oak door.

His feelings were a mixture of relief and disappointment when he found a worried-looking Hermione Granger on his doorstep instead of Albus.

“Ye alright, dear?” he asked. “Wanna come in?”

Hermione nodded and made her way inside. She took off her coat and sat down at his little table. Hagrid quickly prepared a plate of his special biscuits (which he knew nobody actually liked, but most people ate them anyway - or tried to, at least).

He took a seat opposite her and looked at her expectantly. “So why did you stop by?” he asked when she didn't start talking right away. “I doubt you just wanted to say hi.”

Hermione bravely tried to take a bite out of one of his biscuits. “No. I was actually hoping for some advice.”

“Advice? And you're coming to me of all people for that?” he almost laughed out loud at the absurdity of that idea. He was in no way smart or experienced enough to be giving advice.

“Of course I'd come to you, Hagrid. You're a great listener.” Hermione smiled at him. “And besides, you have always been quite good at talking to Harry.”

“So this is about Harry?” he interjected. Who was he kidding, he should have known the moment he spotted her on his doorstep. Everything was about Harry Potter nowadays. Not that Hagrid would mind that it wasn't about him; he had never wanted the spotlight on himself (and it never had been), but _Harry Potter_ had been the centre of Albus’ attention for months now, which didn't leave him with much time for Hagrid. Or no time at all, as Hagrid hadn't even caught a glimpse of him lately.

He blinked and realised Hermione was still sitting in front of him, waiting for his words of wisdom. “He has been getting more and more withdrawn,” she explained. “He won't tell Ron or me anything. I'm really worried by now. He has been having these meetings with Dumbledore…”

Hagrid couldn't help himself. “I know,” he grumbled.

“You know about those? Do you know what he is teaching Harry?”

Hagrid shrugged. “It'll probably be something really important about You-Know-Who.”

“You sound weird. Is there something you're not telling him?” Hermione fixed him with a stern glance. Sometimes, she really reminded him of Minerva. “Hagrid, listen, do you think Dumbledore is preparing Harry well enough to fight Lord Voldemort?”

“Well, he is certainly spending more than enough time with him.” Hagrid was surprised by the sudden bitterness in his voice. He blushed when he noticed how weird he must have sounded to Hermione right now. He really needed to get himself together and sort out this mess. He turned around to fiddle with one of the pots that had been sitting there for way too long, waiting to be cleaned, but Hagrid's mind had been otherwise occupied. “I am sure that Dumbledore is doing everything he can to ensure that Harry is well-prepared. However, even though some consider him the most powerful wizard in the world, Dumbledore is not almighty. Still, I think he is Harry's best chance at defeating You-Know-Who.”

“That makes it sound like it is only Harry's fight,” Hermione noted. “What about us? We are all here to help Harry.”

“Oh, everyone will have to play their part in the end,” Hagrid remarked, noting how he almost sounded like Albus. “But it has been made very clear that it has to be Harry who vanquishes the Dark Lord.” He turned back around to face Hermione. Her big brown eyes were looking up at him, as if he held all the answers in the world. Why couldn't she just bury her head in a book as usual? “I have no doubt that Dumbledore will make sure that Harry gets all the preparation he needs.”

Hermione nodded slowly. “So you think that I should just blindly trust him?”

Hagrid looked back at when he had trusted Albus with everything. In hindsight, it probably hadn't turned out to be to his benefit. Still, he was just a minor character in the play that Albus made out of life, directing it in secret. Harry however was the protagonist and he would need to fulfil his purpose in due time.

“Yes, you should try to trust him,” he assured Hermione. “He knows what's best.”

Hermione didn't seem entirely convinced, but she said goodbye to him anyway, leaving his hut to go look for her friends. Harry needed her now, and Hagrid knew that he couldn't really help with that. It was time he faced his own problems.

* * *

The door to Albus’ office looked familiar by now. The entrance had changed over the years, making the Headmaster's office more and more Dumbledore's own as he aged, but the door itself always remained the same. Hagrid had spent the greatest moments of his life in this room. He thought back to when Albus had announced that Hagrid would become the new teacher for Magical Creatures. Hagrid had never felt more adoration for another person than for Albus in that moment. He had been scared to call it love at first, but it had always been his goal in life to be happy. And somehow, this had changed to being happily in love with Albus.

In hindsight, Albus had probably only made Hagrid a teacher because he couldn't find anyone else to do the job. In the grand schemes of things, nothing would ever happen just to make Hagrid happy. He was not that important.

He raised a hand and knocked on the door. There was no answer. Maybe Albus was in his private chambers next to the office and hadn't heard him knock? Hagrid tried to suppress the thought of all those memories that had been made _there_. He wasn't here to wallow in the past. He knew that if he didn't go through with it this time, he would never muster up the courage to confront Albus.

He pushed open the door and entered the room. He immediately regretted that decision when he found Albus bowed over a pensive as if he was about to immerse himself in a memory. Hagrid knew he did that sometimes, reliving his past, but he had never been there for it.

Albus looked up in surprise. “Rubeus. I didn't expect you here today.” He quickly vanished the memory, making sure that Hagrid didn't catch a proper glimpse of the content. He was being secretive as always.

Hagrid took a deep breath. “I need to talk to you.” And there he was, getting off to a bad start right away. His voice was shaking. When Albus didn't reply at first, he continued: “I need to call off our _agreement._ ”

Now he had Albus’ full attention, something he had been longing after for months now. However, this was not the situation that he had pictured.

Albus’ face showed no emotion. “Would you care to elaborate on the reason for your request?” His tone was overly formal, as it always got when he didn't want anyone to know how he felt. He seemed calm and collected. Why had Hagrid even been scared that this conversation could turn into a huge fight? It was just not Albus’ style to openly yell at anybody.

“You seem to have a lot on your plate right now,” Hagrid explained, trying to mimic Albus’ calm demeanour. “I feel like I don't need to burden you with another responsibility. There are more important things to focus on right now.” _More important things than me._

Even as he said those words, he knew that Dumbledore could sense him lying. He had never been very convincing.

“You are not a burden to me, Rubeus, you should know that by now. You know I like spending time with you.”

“Really? Then how come I haven't seen you in months? All you seem to do is think about Harry fucking Potter, plotting his life for him.” His anger was suddenly back in full blast.

“I thought you liked Harry?” Albus took a step closer and tried to put his hand on Hagrid's arm, but he pulled it back like he'd been burned. “It's his destiny to vanquish the Dark Lord. I'm simply trying my best to guide his path.”

“I don't care about You-Know-Who and your stupid puppet master schemes!” His voice had gotten louder. He was done pretending not to care about this. It felt good to be able to let go of all that anger that he'd held onto for so long. “You didn't even come over for my birthday, all you did was send a _card_ that you signed with your full name. Whenever I wanted to visit you, you had important meetings. And now you're doing it again. I'm here, trying to discuss our relationship and you're making this all about _Harry Potter_.”

“You're really cute when you're jealous, Rubeus, do you know that?” Albus had the audacity to smile.

“I'm not jealous!” Hagrid barked angrily. “I know you would never start anything with a kid. I'm mad at you because you're apparently just trying to rile me up while I'm making an effort so we can actually spend some time together – which you obviously don't appreciate, so I should probably just leave.”

“Please stay.” Hagrid already had a hand on the doorknob, but Albus’ quiet, almost broken voice stopped him. “I have a lot of other things to worry about right now, but that is no reason to treat you badly. I'm really sorry. You know I care about you.”

Hagrid turned around. Albus looked sincere, almost vulnerable. “Show me, then. Show me that you care.” Hagrid asked, not even knowing what exactly he meant by that.

His silent wishes were fulfilled when Albus crossed the distance between them with two long strides and engulfed Hagrid in a warm embrace. He let go way too soon, only to cup Hagrid's head with his hands. “I want you to stay with me,” he whispered before carefully placing his lips on Hagrid's.

Their kiss started out slow. It felt so good to finally feel Albus again, their mouths working together lazily, tongues intertwined. It took Hagrid a while to realise how odd it was that Albus actually seemed to be on the same level as well, even though they usually had quite a big height difference. He looked down to find that Albus was levitating a few feet above the ground, holding himself up with wandless magic, all while making out with Hagrid.

“You're amazing,” Hagrid whispered and picked Albus up. He knew what they needed now and he hoped that by the end of it, Albus would be too occupied with other things to concentrate on levitating at the same time.

Hagrid carried Albus over to one of the shelves which he knew sealed the entrance to his private quarters. He tickled one of the books, “The Art of Motherly Magic”, and the bookcase swung to the side, revealing a comfortable living room.

Hagrid didn't care about the artfully arranged pillows though. He strode over to the bedroom and carefully placed Albus down on the purple sheets (seriously, what even was that man's taste?). He noted joyfully that Albus had not changed anything in here, the bed was still enlarged so that Hagrid would fit comfortably.

Albus awaited Hagrid's touch eagerly. He shivered when Hagrid's big hands started roaming his body, carefully getting rid of his cloak and the soft shirt underneath until they could finally touch bare skin.

Hagrid moaned when Albus’ hands gripped his hair hard. The old man was nowhere as weak as he might look.

It didn't take long until they had both lost all of their clothing. Hagrid was out of breath, not having been this aroused for months. All his blood had travelled down to his lower regions by now, making him lightheaded. It made the whole situation feel like a dream, with caressing touches and hungry kisses. Only that this was real, and Hagrid let himself be engulfed in Albus’ warmth.

It didn't take long, with both of them working together eagerly to find release. Afterwards, Albus reached out to pull the covers over them and waited to be wrapped up in Hagrid's arms, who complied obediently. He buried his head in Albus’ hair and took a deep breath. How he had missed that familiar smell! It always made him feel like home. “I love you,” he whispered.

He didn't expect Albus to react in any way; after all, he never had. He was probably already asleep by now.

“I love you, too.” Hagrid's breath hitched. His heart stopped for a second, only to take up beating twice as fast. Suddenly, he felt even more warm and fuzzy inside.

He couldn't help but ask the question that had been nagging him for years. “Why have you never said it back before? I thought…”

Albus interrupted him. “Of course I love you, Rubeus, please don't ever doubt that. I've been wanting to tell you for years, but I was too scared.”

“Why would you be scared?” Hagrid shifted Albus in his arms to get a better look at his face. It showed nothing but open sincerity.

“I knew that I would have to sacrifice people for the cause eventually. Somewhere along the line, it might end up being either of us. I never planned for our relationship to go on this long, with both of us getting emotionally attached. I didn't want to hurt anyone, but I just couldn't stay away from you. I can’t even imagine not being with you anymore.”

“Me neither,” Hagrid replied. “Please don't ever do that again. You don't need to protect me. I know that there is a possibility that one of us might die, but that doesn't change the fact that I want to spend my whole life with you.”

Albus, otherwise the definition of self-control, breathed a sigh of relief. He threw his arms around Hagrid and kissed him deeply. “I want the same,” he said, almost getting teary-eyed. “Please don't ever think that I don't want to be with you.”

Hagrid just kissed him back, trying to convey all of the love he felt for Albus with that long touching of lips.

And somehow, no matter what might happen further down the line, he knew they would be alright.

* * *

There was a saying that all good things needed to come to an end sometime.

The wind made the trees rustle, blowing leaves over the crowd of people assembled on the grounds of Hogwarts. For a moment, it drowned out the rumble of the casket being lowered down into the ground.

Everyone had come to witness the fall of Albus Dumbledore, the Greatest Wizard of their times. Hagrid knew better. He didn't shed a tear. It had all gone to plan. And he knew that no matter what happened, Albus would always be there in his heart to guide his way.

**Author's Note:**

> I recently found this work in my drafts. It was originally intended as a Christmas gift for my lovely friend C a few years back, but it didn't get finished on time. So there you go, my friend, happy belated Christmas! 
> 
> To everyone else who read this: I'm sorry. I never intended to disturb anyone, this just kind of happened. I am hoping to produce more content along those lines in the future.


End file.
